Why doesn't RTS say "Heavy Duty" anymore?

[Scout1]

I was in Walmart today and of course I cruised past the oil aisle. Looking at the new packaging for the Rotella Synthetic 5w40, I can't find the words "Heavy Duty" anywhere on the new bottle. The white bottle 15w40 conventional still says "Heavy Duty" but not the RTS. My old bottles of RTS bought last year (the old style bottle) have the words "Heavy Duty" on them.

I thought I understood that to put "Heavy Duty" on a bottle of oil, you had to put a stronger additive pack in it... but I'm not sure which ingredients it was. If "Heavy Duty" is missing, does that mean Shell has reduced it's add pack? What's it mean?

 

[dwendt44]

With many engines now specing lower weight oils, the term 'heavy' many scare some customers off.
That's just a guess, though.

RTS is still a diesel oil and still a darn good oil for many applications. European autos and motorcycles, etc..
Since over the road trucks is still the main users of RTS, I seriously doubt Shell would weaken their product and lose the truckers trust.

 

[Doug Hillary]

Hi,
Scout1 - You can tell of course via the API Quality rating which I believe is (variously) >CI-4/>SL. Such lubricants are HDEOs via this marking

One thing Shell has never done in over 50 years that I know of is to compromise the standards of either their Rimula or Rotella Commercial HD lubricants - they are amongst the Worlds best sellers in a very competitive market place

 

[dnewton3]

To me, the words "heavy duty" in the lubricant world are about as ambiguous as the word "synthetic".These are MARKETING terms, not clinical or scientific descriptions.

Tribologists and chemists likely couldn't care less what Marketing Analysts think, and vice-versa.

 

[cosynthetics]

Right now I'd stake the 5w-40 as a "heavier duty" oil than the 15w40. The 5w-40 is still CI-4 while the 15w40 is CJ-4.

 

[Kestas]

When I was a kid, my dad would always buy the "heavy-duty" shock absorbers from Sears. I once asked him, "Where are the light-duty shock absorbers? I can't find them on the shelves!"

 

[OilGuy]

Maybe it has something to do with the fact their own data sheet highlights that the 5W-40 doesn't meet the minimum performance requirements to be used in a 02-06 CAT, Detroit Diesel, Mercedes Benz, or Volvo heavy duty engines??

 

[Steve S]

The new Rotella is now a kinder ,gentler oil .

 

[Gary Allan]

Does it have "a thousand points of light" too?

 

[OVERKILL]

No, but I heard Delvac now wields the Machine Gun Hand.

 

[WishIhadatruck]

Originally Posted By: cosynthetics
Right now I'd stake the 5w-40 as a "heavier duty" oil than the 15w40. The 5w-40 is still CI-4 while the 15w40 is CJ-4.


I'm pretty sure the last time I looked at the Rotella T 5W-40 it was now CJ-4.

 

[greenaccord02]

I have a bottle in front of me right now and it's CJ-4

 

[daves66nova]

Originally Posted By: Steve S
The new Rotella is now a kinder ,gentler oil .
like palmolive soap on your hands!

 

[OilGuy]

It actually meets all the minimum heavy duty specs now, unlike the CI-4 Plus version which did not meet the specs for Detroit Diesel, Mercedes Benz, Volvo, or CAT. They say it's improved, well at least they meet minimum specs now.

 

[OilGuy]

Doah! I knew this sounded familiar - a thread brought back to life. Sorry for the repeat info.